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Waltons Wiki
Welcome to the Waltons Wiki This wiki concerns the past, present and future of the Waltons building (formerly Overells Building) in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Brisbane City Council Fortitude Valley Local Plan "Landmarks and vistas of local and city wide significance must be maintained and enhanced. Significant landmarks include, but are not limited to ... McWhirters, Waltons and TC Beirne buildings." Addresses 240 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley ("I Life Factory", "Voodoo Lulu", "A and J Trading") 238 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley 250 Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley ("Overell Building") 248 Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley (formerly "Hyundai Gift Centre", now at 200 Wickham St) Timeline *1883. Overells established by William James Overell (1854 - 1917) in Ann Street, at a location afterwards occupied by Wildman Bros Plumbers. *1900. Overells moves to its current location in Wickham St and Brunswick St. *1904. 10 February. A fire extensively damages the store. *c1911. The current store is constructed (according to Planning and Development - Brisbane City Councils) *1927. 14 September. Brisbane Courier: "The rapid expansion of the business of Overells' Ltd., Wickham-street, Valley, has necessitated increasing the height of the firm's drapery emporium to five stories above the basement." *1933. Chiu Fan Lee born, presumably in Hong Kong. *1940. 10 July. Nancy Lee born in Inverell, New South Wales. *1956. Overells bought by Waltons. *1966-1967. Chiu Fan Lee gets his M.Sc. in mathematics from the University of Queensland. *1969-1971. Chiu Fan Lee gets his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Queensland, and publishes four papers in various journals. *1973. 8 March. Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub fire in Fortitude Valley, referred to by Mount Cathay in 2009 complaint below. *1974. Chiu Fan Lee gets permanent residency of Australia. *1976. 13 May. The Brisbane City Council writes to Waltons and approves their request to close Overell's Lane to vehicular traffic. Mount Cathay refers to this letter in 2009 complaint below. *1983. 17 October. CNS Holdings Pty Ltd and JNL Management Pty Ltd are established. *1983. 1 November. Mount Cathay Pty Ltd is established. *1984. 6 April. Courier Mail: "THE Waltons-Bond property at the Brunswick and Wickham Street corner, Fortitude Valley, has been sold for $2.65 million.The property, with about 13,000 square metres of retail, office and storage space, was sold by Amalgamated Securities Limited and Overells Limited, on a leaseback deal to Waltons Stores (Interstate) Limited. Agent Tom Chan and Associates would not disclose the identity of the buyer." *1987. May. Waltons becomes Norman Ross. *1988. March. Norman Ross has its closing down sale. *1989. 24 November. Courier Mail, letter to the editor from Jeanette Smith: "It makes me sick to see what the Waltons store has been reduced to when I remember how lovely it was a few years ago. How on earth were so many fifth-grade, little businesses allowed to operate in one area? A mish-mash of junk surrounded by dirty, dung-colored buildings. I felt dirty just being there." *1991. 26 July. Mount Valley Management Pty Ltd and Mount Valley Pty Ltd are established. *1991. 10 November. Courier Mail: "A 34-storey residential building over the Fortitude Valley railway station in Brisbane has been proposed to bring residents back to the area. ...Mr Keith McDonnell, a director and spokesman for the company proposing the development, Mount Valley Management Pty Ltd, said the development was proposed for the former Waltons building site. …The residental tower will cater for a maximum of 500 people. He said such a density was the only way to ensure viability of the project. The retail arcades connect to Brunswick and Wickham Streets and the Valley Centre Plaza and provide access to the Brunswick Street Railway. ... Ald Soorley said yesterday the building did not have City Council approval and in its existing form fell outside the guidelines of the Town Plan. "We are interested in facilitating development of the Valley which is both sensible for the city and profitable for the developer,'' he said."'' *1991. 17 November. Courier Mail: "THE Fortitude Valley trader association responsible for the marketing and management of the Valley and Chinatown malls has put its weight behind a proposed 34-storey residential and retail development for the area. Mount Valley Management Ltd outlined its plan for the $40m development on the old Waltons building site last week. In a letter to the company, Valley Business Association president Mr Richard Zammit said the association was happy to see some firm progress in the area of development of disused sites in the Valley region. Mr Zammit said the proposed project had the ability to be the major catalyst for other development in the area. " *1993. 8 August. Courier Mail: "There is also speculation that a major residential building over the Fortitude Valley railway station proposed for the former Waltons site is being revised after initial rejection by the council. The project initially knocked back was a $40 million 34-storey building with a residential tower component. A revised development proposal for the site is expected to be put forward in the near future." *1997. 4 July. Courier Mail: "TWO of Fortitude Valley's landmark properties, the former Waltons department store site and the Sunday Sun premises, are on the market for redevelopment in what has become a burgeoning urban renewal precinct. Vendor Mt Cathay Pty Ltd is offering the property freehold under two purchase scenarios." See 1997 Courier Mail article. *1998. Mount Cathay starts complaining about their neighbours at 256 Wickham Street. *2005. 24 February. The Lees acquire their current home at the Gold Coast. *2005. 3 October. Mount Cathay writes to James Heading of the Brisbane City Council (complaints concerning Overell's Lane, see below). *2006. 5 March. Sunday Mail: "Drug dealing, fights, drunkenness . . . it's our 100m of misery. DRUG pushers ply their trade in the open as shoppers brush by, arguments break out as deals go bad, drunks slump unconscious in doorways -- all within metres of a manned police beat." *2006. 16 March. City News: "A commercial landlord has come under fire for allowing a Fortitude Valley strip to descend into a haven for drug-dealers and other anti-social behaviour." See 2006 City News Article. *2008. 24 June. Skyscrapercity.com: "another part of the building they can fix up is the line of 2 dollars shop sic and the westpac building. aparently sic a cranky old asian man owns it and he dosnt sic want to do jack." *2008. 18 July. Mount Cathay writes to Jane Prentice of the Brisbane City Council (complaints concerning Overell's Lane, see below). *2009. 5 November. An anonymous Mount Cathay Pty Ltd "liason" sic officer complains to the BCC (Development application A002228766): "Grave concerns supported by photographic evidence were raised on public health and safety in OVERELL LANE caused by the occupiers of 256 Wickham Street. ... There were numerous correspondence and evidence sic to show Overell Lane was severely damaged by construction work in 2006 carried out by the proprietor of 256 Wickham Street. The property of Mount Cathay Pty Ltd. was unlawfully trespassed sic and damaged during the said work. The ongoing issues of safety and maintenance on Easement no. H243890 since 1998 with the Grantee, the Body Corporate of Happy Valley BUP 102240, as shown by many correspondence. sic" *2011. 30 March. Independent: "A long-term and respected local business identity wants Fortitude Valley rid of the eyesore Waltons building – either cleaned up or preferably redeveloped – and support for his campaign is spreading." See Independent article *2011. 12 May. Brisbanetimes.com.au publishes an article on how to fix the valley mall but many comments call for cleaning the Waltons building. David Hinchliffe of the city council responds: "Council does NOT have the power to make the owner of the Walton's building renovate or re-develop. Council's powers in relation to the outward appearance of buildings are limited to buildings that front the malls. I've suggested that we seek powers from the State to allow Council to have such a power outside the malls." John Fraser of Kedron responds: "The BCC has more than enough powers to issue Show Cause Notices on the Waltons building." Pictures May 2011 pictures at http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=77205113 People and companies The building is currently owned Mount Cathay Pty Ltd as written about in a 1997 Courier Mail article and a 2006 City News Article. The sole director of Mount Cathay Pty Ltd is Nancy Lee (born 1940), who is also a director of JNL Management Pty Ltd. CNS Holdings Pty Ltd is a member of Mount Cathay Pty Ltd. CNS Holdings, JNL Management, Mount Cathay Pty Ltd, Mount Valley Pty Ltd, and Mount Valley Management Pty Ltd have equivalent ASIC histories since 2005. Mount Cathay Pty Ltd is associated with Chiu Fan Lee at UQ (born 1933). For more information, see the National Archives record for Li Chiu Fan, also known as Lee Chiu Fan. See academic Papers of Chiu Fan Lee. What to do *Who can do something? Even with current by-laws, just based on a cursory inspection of the lane, the ceilings in the Brunswick St stores, and the exterior of the Wickham St building, there are numerous health and safety problems. However, the BCC seems unwilling or unable to issue a Show Cause notice. *Perhaps the BCC needs more powers to force owners to fix dilapidated buildings. *The opportunity costs of keeping the Wickham Street building empty must be high. Something very strange is going on. *Geoff Dick commented: "(Dr Lee) just hangs  onto the buildings till they go up in value.". Hence, a recession / depression or a land tax could fix the problem. But it's been 27 years, don't hold your breath. Latest activity Category:Browse